Composting. Just Do It!

Guests came over and now you have a big mess to clean up.  Here we go again… what to do with all the kitchen scraps.

Here’s an idea – use it for your garden!  I mean – heck- why buy fertilizer?  Congratulations, you’ve taken the first step toward composting!

So what is composting?

It is the breakdown of organic matter into soil that is rich in nutrients and micro-organisms.  Organic means it was once alive or came from a living thing.  Composting happens naturally – for example when dead leaves hit the forest floor and decompose, protecting and nourishing the soil underneath.

There a few ways of dealing with compost – depending on your space, time, and budget. The rotating barrel style composter is the neatest and most contained, along with being animal-proof.  But it is also the most expensive.  Composters range from about $80, to the Cadillac of composters – around $600.

Looking for easy and cheap?  Who isn’t??

Then go the compost pile or pit method.  This is a slower process but can give you some great fertilizer.  Start by finding a patch of bare earth, then lay down a few branches and twigs so that there is proper drainage.  The downside to this method is that it can attract wildlife – but if you regularly turn the pile this can minimize the nuisance.  Plus if you maintain the proper ratio of brown (carbon- i.e. leaves, cardboard, sawdust, hay) to green (nitrogen – i.e. moister stuff – egg shells, coffee grounds, plant trimmings) it can help with keeping the pile from being too dry or overly moist.  Add water and air and you have a perfect formula for proper decomposition.  The compost pile provides a wonderful dining experience for tiny organisms like bacteria and molds, as well as creatures like worms and insects.  They are constantly munching away in their mission to provide us humans with excellent soil.

Isopods – although not very pretty (also known as roly polys, pillbugs, sowbugs or woodlice) — are excellent to have around in your compost pile.  Black soldier flies and larvae are also very helpful in the decomposition process.  Earthworms are the superstars.  None of the others work as hard and their contributions are highly valuable in regards to achieving great soil.  Centipedes are amongst are ugliest of guests and eat the other beneficial bugs.  Unattractive, useless, and suck the life out of others…hit the bricks centipedes!  Oh well, tough to get rid of them though.

So what’s so bad about throwing food scraps and other organic material into the garbage?  It ends up in the local landfill.  This huge pile never properly breaks down as it is comprised of both organic and inorganic material.  The organic material is trapped and is unable to get any oxygen – a necessary ingredient for proper break down.  This pile then releases methane which is highly flammable and not particularly good for the atmosphere.  Yuck.

How do you know when your compost is ready?  Look for dark brown, rich material that smells like the forest floor.  Not all will be ready in your compost pile – just leave it to continue digesting.

Here’s a quick chart the I found useful:

There’s quite a bit more to the topic which we will expound on in future articles. Stay tuned.  In the meantime start composting today!  It’s good for the environment, introduces mico-organisms back into the soil, and achieves excellent results in your garden!

-Heather Wentworth